AI is key to address climate change

Technology is the key to environmental resilience, and “smart cities” must leverage it to address climate change, writes Vikram Nair, president of EMEA Business for Tech Mahindra.

For example, AI can support sustainable urban planning, help track pollution sources and guide fertilizer use. It can also adjust traffic signals in real-time to optimize flow of cars and reduce congestion.

AI could also be leveraged on a larger scale to predict environmental changes, such as natural disasters and droughts. Stanford University and Arizona State University researchers have studied the possibility of using data analytics to help provide earlier warnings of severe weather.

“AI is proving to be a critical enabler, owing to its climate modeling capabilities. AI can gather and analyze vast datasets, helping us to factor in climate change and make informed predictions about environmental changes.”